11 Comments

I think it’s time to seriously consider bringing in Leetch and moving a guy like Rachunek to the 7th d or something because he does not look comfortable. There needs to be some drastic move on defense here, no time to panic, but when the only power play goals come on 5-3 we have an issue. Leetch will stabilize the defense and help the powerplay. He will also help Pock, Tyutin, and Rachunek off the ice.

Rachunek has not been the steadiest defender and on top of it he shows so little enthusiasm. He and Pock always get caught out of position (usually on the same side leaving the slot uncovered) And why would a power play specialist not be an answer? The Rangers need to steady the defense and Leetch can provide that.

The Rangers succeeded last year not only because of Lundquist and Jagr, but because they were in the top ten in goals against. Last year, giving up 13 goals over 2 games was unheard of – in fact, that was a lot for 3 games. The team, pure and simple, has gottten completely away from playing solid team defense. Last year we had a stifling penalty kill that NEVER scored SH goals but also shut down opposing power plays. With Moore and Ortmeyer gone, nothing has replaced that and so the Rangers do not have that. Last year, there was no offensive contribution from the blueline because they really were more concerned with being defensively responsible. Thats why Ozolinsh was such a disaster -he took chances on offense that the Rangers didnt (and even moreso now, dont) need to be taking. And out third and fourth lines are nowhere near what they were last year, and the chemistry just isnt there yet.

Why can’ t the Rangers clear the puck? It’s unreal how often they turn the puck over by simpling shuffling it towards the blue line or the boards. And it’s as if any opposing player disappears if he goes behind the Rangers net and then — surprise — there he is on the other side, open and alone. Who would have thunk it?

Sam, what is the talk on solidifying team defense? Are the players in denial? And does the coaching staff have any influence or control? It seems not.

Maybe Jagr shouldn’t have gotten that “C.” Those few ounces of extra gear seem to have weighed him down; he looks exhausted half-way through the first period of every game. And Is Brendan Shanahan the only man who knows how to lead by example?

Calm down dudes. We don’t need anyone. We have a winning team already. Benching someone/bringing someone else in won’t do anything. This was the entire team’s loss. Weekes gave bad rebounds, our defense didnt defend those rebounds, and our PK didnt do anything. Calm down and play basic hockey. Maybe i’m drunk, but look at the stats… Jagr is in the lead with points, shanny in the lead with goals… The defense needs to calm down. Malik used to be “cool, calm, Malik.” Rosival used to be consistent. Kaspar/Ozo will spark this team guaranteed

It is a trite saying but no team is as bad as it is during its longest losing streak or as good as it appears during the longest winning streak. The season is 82 games long. There is lots of time to correct the total lack of team defensive. I also refuse to believe after 5 games that Lunquist has morphed into an average goalie. All this did not make last night easy to watch. Let’s hope Renney can get the players to work as a team.

The hardest thing to stomach about the recent..um….struggle, is that they refuse to stick up for each other. How many times do we see Jagr take cheap hits and not one teammate comes to answer for him, our best and most important player outside of Shanahan? It’s like they don’t care for one another. I need to see some cohesiveness to be more confident in the future here for these guys!

Danroy, I never said Rachunek has been THE steadiest defender on the team. Faulting him when the entire defense has sucked is just convenient scapegoating a la blaming Ozo for last year’s collapse. Not a single defenseman on the team can say they haven’t been caught out of position at least a half dozeon times — per game! Rachunek has at least been making some nice defensive plays, breaking up odd-man rushes and blocking passes through the crease. As for enthusiasm… I haven’t seen a whole lot of that from ANYONE on the team so far.

A power play specialist, especially one who’s 38 years old and hasn’t put on a pair of skates in over a month, who won’t shoot from the point and was never better than “good” in his own zone even when he was younger, faster and in shape, is not the answer. We’re scoring 4 goals a game. That should be more than enough to win. The power play is not the problem. It stands to reason, therefore, that a power play specialist is not the solution.